Christine Fairchild

Director of Alumni Relations
University of Oxford

Oxford, England

 

Christine Fairchild is my first international guest, joining us from Oxford on the day of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. Christine is the Director of Alumni Relations for the University of Oxford, and at the beginning of our chat, she shares how the Queen’s public vigil was the background for Oxford’s big alumni weekend.

 

After two years of pandemic restrictions, The University planned to welcoming alumni back with prominent speakers, including senior government officials. Alumni events were cancelled due to the Queen’s services.

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Christine describes Oxford’s hyper-decentralized structure, with 39 different colleges that are the home base for the undergraduate experience. We excitingly hear how Christine went from the Executive Director of Development at Harvard Business School to her position at Oxford,  as she details the serendipitous experiences on that path.

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Toward the end of our conversation, Christine shares her enthusiasm for advocating at Oxford and, via CASE, with other institutions, about investing in alumni relations. The final 5 minutes of our conversation are so rich and down-to-earth, as Christine talks about the qualities she most values in her work and in other people in the nonprofit world. Christine was a gracious guest on my podcast and I am grateful she shared some career experiences with our audience.